Pathfinder

Remember those math problems from school that gave so many of us nightmares? Like, “Two trains are on the same track a distance 100 km apart heading towards one another, each at a speed of 50 km/h. A fly starting out at the front of one train, flies towards the other at a speed of 75 km/h. Upon reaching the other train, the fly turns around and continues towards the first train. How many kilometers does the fly travel before getting squashed in the collision of the two trains?”

Now, imagine a whole book of over 650 pages that makes it seem like you are caught inside such a math puzzle for the entire book! A book that has to explain to you in an appendix such facts as “the [space] ship made it through that first jump … 31 light show more years from Earth times 19 squared”…! A book all about characters who travel back and forth in time but are always arguing about whether they have influenced each other in the past or in the future, or whether they are making time slow down or time speed-up, or if the current incarnation of the character needs the future self to go back and interact with the past self, and did that mean the past really happened or never had happened or never would happen or….? Are you screaming yet? Because I was!!!

Somewhere in all of this there is a story, but to me, it got almost totally loss in all the craziness. What follows is typical dialogue in the book, occurring in this exchange between the characters named Loaf and Umbo, after Future-Umbo went back in time to deliver a warning to the character Rigg before disaster could strike. Present-Umbo wants to figure out how to do it so he makes sure Future-Umbo knows how to do it:

"Loaf: “…you learned how to go back in time … delivered the warnings, and now everything is happening differently. So why do you need to deliver the messages this time at all?”

Umbo: “‘Because none of that has happened yet, so now it won’t,’ said Umbo. ‘I have to learn how to travel in time so I can go back this time and deliver the same message again.’”

Loaf: “But you didn’t get the message twice, did you? So why deliver it twice?”

‘I don’t know,’ said Umbo. ‘I don’t think it is twice. I think there’s only one message, and I still have to deliver it.’

Loaf: ‘But you only know you have to deliver it because you already did. And that’s the point. You already did.”
…
Umbo: “I have to do it because I know I already did, only when I did it, it was the future, so I have to get to the future in order to come back and do what I already did…"

Gaaaah!!!

And this goes on and on and on!!! Not only in this particular passage, but repeatedly, throughout the book!

Yes, I made it to the end, but I’m not sure how or why. Maybe my future self told my past self I had to do it to ensure my current self had another book to add to my list of books read for the year....

Evaluation: Ender’s Game is one of my favorite reads. But this book? It was just painful for me. And there is a sequel! Gaaaaah! And no! I am not reading it! Not my present self, my future self, or my past self! None of us! show less

Always love Orson Scott Card - this is my light Thanksgiving reading!

If this is the first Orson Scott Card book you read you would not be disappointed. Having read a large portion of Card's many books, much of what Card has written before is reflected in this story. A large canvas of 11,000 years with a foreign culture (like the homecoming series), a young male protaganist who is unique (ender/bean), and a light jumping starship with colonialist in statis (Ender and Homecoming) are all not new ideas for Card. But even if you have already read Card, you will not be disappointed with this story. Fresh ideas particularly on time travel combine with the old ones to make an inovative and original narrative.

The book does have some depth to show more its characters and is well over 600 pages in length, but it keeps your interest throughout and as is typical of Card has a thrilling ending. It appears that Card will be writing more books in this series, but the book works well as a stand-alone with a satisfying ending.

Without summarizing the story which you can read on the back of the book, I would recommend this story for any Orson Scott Card fan - undoubtably you will enjoy it. It is not quite as compelling as Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow which are the gold standard in this genre, but still throughly satisfies. And for any first time readers of Card - if you enjoy smart sci-fi and great characters you will definitely enjoy this book. show less

I enjoyed most of this book but found the scientific explanations of time travel baffling. I still don't completely understand how everything worked out plot-wise due to this. It didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story, however, but left me feeling rather simple and stupid because I couldn't "get it." I'll probably read the second installment when it comes out, but I'm not exactly waiting with bated breath.

Me ha gustado mucho, aunque se ha concentrado lo gordo al final (he soltado más wtf con el último capítulo que con todo el resto del libro). Paradojas por todas partes, como debería haber supuesto pero no hice... y planteado el argumento del próximo libro (que no sabía que existía al momento de empezar este; tengo que dejar de meterme en sagas).
En fin, recomendable, tiene poco de ci-fi pero es importante, y me caen todos muy bien menos uno, lo cual es buena señal (xD). No es la rehostia pero está muy bien, se lee muy rápido (como casi todo lo de este hombre) y es bastante ameno. Y no sé qué más decir, se le nota totalmente el estilo de Card, tanto en lo bueno como en lo malo, que, por suerte, es poco.

Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card is a wonderful young adult work of speculative fiction. Combining the best of science fiction and fantasy, readers follow the adventures of two characters living in different times. Card applies the best of his storytelling techniques such as epic journeys, time travel, and magical powers. At times I felt like I was reading one of his earlier works such as Folk of the Fringe or Alvin. Characters with unique powers come together using their individual and combined abilities to help them along their journey.

I was particularly drawn to the science fiction elements related to the paradox of time travel. It was fascinating to see how Card created and applied his own set of rules, then immersed his characters in show more situations that challenged their thinking and abilities. It was refreshing to see how the characters used their minds rather than their muscles to solve problems. The lengthy book flew by as the plot became increasingly sophisticated.

Although the surprise ending and numerous twists are exciting, teen readers are likely to anticipate the conclusion after reading the first couple chapters. However the book remains engaging throughout because the story is really about the relationships among the characters and the group's quest rather than a big finale.

Since first reading the short story version of Ender's Game in the late 1970s, I've been a huge fan. I continue to be impressed by the characters and worlds created by this master storyteller. I highly recommend this for readers of all ages and look forward to more books in this excellent new series. show less

I will confess that I was drawn to this book by its cover. The colors are grand, there is a metallic sheen underneath, and -- thankfully -- there is no hooded protagonist on the cover, as so many other covers have been using over the past few years. As I began reading this book, I was intrigued by two things. First, the story line juxtaposes high technology (spaceflight) with low technology (your typical fantasy world of taverns and swords etc.). Presumably the story eventually ties these together, but I don't know -- I decided to abandon reading it. The second thing that intrigued me was that the main character was able to manipulate time, and see the paths that others have taken through his environment before he arrived there. But show more after I had invested several not-unpleasurable hours of reading, it seemed like the author was having too much fun confusing the characters (and the reader!) with time travel paradoxes. I simply lost interest in the book. It was one of those cases where the book was interesting, but because it is competing for my attention with many other books (on my shelves and on my wishlist), I chose to give up on it. Sorry, Mr. Card. show less

Humanity has colonized another world and they have named it "Garden." Now some of the descendants have developed extraordinary abilities. Umbo can slow time and Rigg can see the paths left by any human, past or present. When the mysterious man Rigg believed to be his father dies, Rigg and Umbo set out to find Rigg's mother and sister and discover his heritage. But there is much about his past that Rigg doesn't know, and when he finds his family, he finds himself embroiled in a civil war - for he holds the key to unlocking the mysteries of Garden. Card is compelling writer and this is a great story, but it's very long! He always has good characters and this is no exception. The plot is well done and he unravels it slowly to keep the show more reader turning the pages. Overall I thought it was a good book, but it took so long for the story to develop and reach its conclusion. show less